At Last I See The Light
by GroovyViewbie
Summary: Lydia Martin has been alone her entire life, wishing to leave the place in which she is trapped. Stiles has been on the run for hours looking for an escape when caught in his latest illegal activity. But when he climbs to his escape, could it be an opportunity for the young girl? Stydia AU based around Tangled.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **This is my first Stydia story. It's an AU based on the Disney film Tangled. Feedback is more than welcome, I will most likely continue anyway but it's encouraging to see people reading. I hope you enjoy.

**Disclamer: **I don't own any form of rights to teen wolf or tangled, all rights to the respective owners.

Prologue

For her, it all started when her mother was sick. Complications. Of course she wasn't born yet, had no idea of knowing this was the start of her journey, that the remedy for her mother's illness would make her desireable and that the woman she knew as mother was as far from it as possible. She'd grown up alone, the only comfort in the books she read and the lights that danced across the sky once a year.

For him it started eighteen years later. His mother had died when he was young of an incurable illness, no magical remedy, not that his father could afford it, even if there had been. Once she was gone, it didn't take his father long to become lost. What little money they had, he'd spent on liquor until he couldn't cope anymore.

The boy ended up in an orphanage until he was too old to stay there any longer. That's when he found he had a special skill in criminality and that is why he was currently on the run from the palace guards, not to mention Ethan and Aiden who he had royally screwed over by stealing their share in the stolen goods.

As he ran, he came across one of many wanted posters, grimacing at the inaccurate artwork. "Always the nose."

Not having chance to look for long, he stuffed the poster into his satchel, pushing through the foliage to escape the kings most trusted guard, McCall. As the shadow cast over him, a smirk overtook his features, opportunity obvious to him as he began the long journey to the top of the tower, everything going black as soon as his feet landed on solid ground.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I wasn't planning on updating so quickly but I have a week off of Uni and I got inspired to write some more. Thank you to xxRikkexx1 for the review, it made me feel all happy inside. Here's chapter one, I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

During her eighteen years locked in the tower, Lydia had got into a familiar routine. Wake up, do chores and then she read. It was the only thing she enjoyed in the tower, having read most of her books over and over again. Whether it was fictional stories about mermaids finding their voice, or non-fictional books teaching her about mathematics or physics, she read whatever her mother bought her. The last time mother Blake had returned, she'd bought stories of mystical creatures, a book she'd read at least three times in her mother's absence.

She was in the middle of brushing her long blonde hair when she heard her mother's voice ring out. Prada, her only companion, quickly scurried behind the closet, Jennifer not knowing about the small dog Lydia looked after.

Once she had pulled her mother up, she sat her down, rushing the process to restore her mother's youth and beauty. She felt her shock as her hair glowed a bright gold, the one short strand of red sticking out in the brightness. She turned with pursed lips, twisting the short strand around her finger as she found the words. "Mother, my birthday is coming up and I was thinking maybe I could leave to see the floating lights?"

The laughter filled the room almost instantly and it didn't long after for her mother to shoot down the idea. "You can't handle yourself out there darling. And I need you dear. I want you safe. You can see the stars from your window." She sighed, brushing her daughters hair as she looked around for reason. "Out there, there's monsters, other humans who want to take your hair and cut it, turn it that ugly red colour. Now, I have to go gather vegetables but I'll be back, you stay careful sweetheart." The tales of thugs and rogues were nothing new, having read of them before, but the way her mother spoke of them made them seem terrifying, made the tower seem a lot safer.

That's why when she heard footsteps, she'd grabbed the baseball bat that was leaning against the closet, hitting the boy the second he climbed inside. She watched him laying on the floor, Prada bounding over and poking his nose to the foreign creatures cheek. Lydia took a step closer, crouching down to inspect the boy. He didn't look menacing, but she wasn't that naive, knowing looks could be deceiving. However, she knew the opportunities that arose with his presence, dragging him over to the closet, excitement bubbling in her stomach at the proof to her mother that she could handle herself.

It was getting dark when her mother returned, the speech amd reveal of the boy practiced over and over by Lydia, both in her head and out loud to Prada, ready for every turn of events. Prada scurried to hide again as Lydia pulled her mother up to the window, watching from behind the closet.

"Lydia, look what I found, those berries you like for your paintings." Jennifer could tell something was wrong, a confident air to the girl she called her daughter that wasn't usually so apparent.

So when she started mumbling about the lanterns, she worked quickly to shoot her down. One thing she couldn't have was Lydia leaving the tower, learning her true heritage and leaving Jennifer alone to rot. "We talked about this darling, it's scary out there, you wouldn't be able to hand-"

Lydia interrupted without a thought, eyes fixed on her mother's as her voice became raised. "But mother, I can handle myself. If you'd just listen for once."

Jennifer's eyes turned dark as Lydia raised her voice, slightly larger stature towering with ease over the 5"3 blonde. "You are not leaving this tower, not for stars, not for anything. You could be killed out there, then what would I do?"

Lydia took a deep breath, nodding in defeat. Her back-up plan now needed to play out, which meant getting rid of her mother for a few days. "I-I just thought that maybe books were a better present for my birthday. Maybe a few on astrology, so I can remap the stars, clearly I did something wrong before."

"Okay my flower. I'll see you in a few days." She kissed the top of her head, hand caressing her long blonde locks, before she left on the long trip.

Without wasting another second, she pulled the boy from the closet and tied him to a chair, bat poised in her hands. She stated for a while, mapping his features as Prada sniffed him, trying to sense his trustworthyness by scent. He had decided he was seemingly good, when the boy let out a groan, caramel eyes slowly fluttering open. "What happened? Where am I?"

Lydia watched as Prada scurried away, taking a step forward to inspect him closely. Her eyes widened as she saw him looking around, a look of awe in her eyes as he spoke. When he started to fight against the restraints, she hit him in the head again, ignoring the look Prada gave her. "What? He was trying to escape."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter. Thank you to the reviewers from chapter one, miizx3ela, Dodge 1989 and Guest. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

Chapter Two

As soon as he woke, Stiles' head was pounding, working to fill in the blanks as he looked around the room. The last thing he remembered was scaling the tower, on the run from the twins, and now he found himself expertly tied to a chair. The only conclusion he could draw wasthat he'd been stupid enough to climb into one of McCalls traps.

"Escaping is futile, I have a bat." The voice echoed the room as he searched, a little relieved to find the voice was unfamiliar, clearly belonging to the figure in the shadows. "I have hidden your possessions because I need you. Your crown will be returned to you when you have taken me to see the floating lights."

Stiles scoffed at the request, watching as a girl came out of the shadows. There was no denying she was beautiful, with ridiculously long blonde hair and bright green eyes, but he wasn't going to let her beauty distract him from the matter at hand, escaping from the tower and making a small fortune on the stolen jewels. "Look, I'd love to take you to the floating lights but that crown, not really mine. I need to get rid of it and fast so I need that back. Then you can see the princess lanterns but you don't want to go with me. I'm a well known vigilante, the King has his guards watching me ninety-nine per cent of the time."

Lydia rolled her eyes as he tried to charm her into submission. Clearly he thought she was an idiot, somebody who would become confused at his ramblings and accept his reasonings, but she could tell she was much smarter than he was, knowing how to make a deal. "Or, you take me to see the floating lights, and I don't knock you out again and turn you in to the kingdoms guards? As soon as I've seen the lights, you will get back your stolen treasures and I will help you escape the guards."

She saw the cogs turning until he eventually sighed in defeat. As soon as she untied the ropes, she scooped up Prada into her arms before walking to the window. "Are you coming?" She looped her hair over the hook hanging outside her window, preparing herself to scale down the tower. "You may want to hold on tight."

Not long after, they were walking in silence through the woods, Lydia rethinking over her plan, certain it was ridiculous now she was walking with a criminal. "What's your story?"

Stiles shook his head quickly, tearing down wanted posters as they walked. "Oh no, I don't do tragic backstory time. I want to get this over with and have it be relatively painless."

That was a surprise to her but she didn't push it, instead she let herself think out loud. "Am I horrible? Am I am awful person? I shouldn't have left. I should go back. But this is going to be fun. This is good, I'm never going back." She took a deep breath, stomach grumbling as she walked, realising she hadn't eaten since breakfast.

At the sound of her stomach, Stiles thought of an opportuntity to end this insufferable journey, any hint of attraction fading away with the constant ramblings of the girl. "You know, I'm sure there is a place just up here where we can get a good meal, it's called the uh, the Wolf Pack."

Reluctantly, Lydia agreed to go off the track, seeing the building approaching as close as Stiles had said. However, once inside, she felt her stomach turn, Prada shaking in her arms. The men inside all turned to stare, various weapons being sharpened as they recognised Stiles. "And they must have raised the bounty hanging over my head. You sure leaving the tower was a good thing?"

Meanwhile, back at the tower, Jennifer had returned, having forgotten her coin purse in her hurry to leave. When she called for Lydia, a chill went up her spine, the usual bubbly reply not coming. "Lydia? Lydia let down your hair." The reply never came, but she saw paper blowing in the breeze, bending down to find a folded wanted poster, knowing now that Stiles Stilinski was the man. The man who had taken her ticket to eternal youth. As soon as she could get her hands on him, he would pay the price.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm sorry for the wait, uni work piled up, and I had no time to write. Thanks to Dodge1989 for the review and everyone supporting this story. I also had a tad bit of writers block so I apologise for the shortness of this chapter. I will be posting a Stydia one shot I wrote a while back this week to make it up to you guys. :)

Chapter Three

As soon as they'd walked in, Derek recognised the boy, knew the price the authorities would pay for him. "You shouldn't have come here, there's a lot of people here who would hand you in, pocket the cash. Me included."

Lydia stood behind Stiles, knees shaking as she looked around at the various muscular men, somehow knowing they would show no mercy to her once they took Stiles. If they handed him over, she would have lost her chance, her only hope of fulfilling her dream lost, and she wasn't going to let that happen.

It didn't take long for the group to grab him, fighting in a disorderly fashion, trying to be the one to get the bounty all for themselves, acting as if he were a ragdoll children were fighting over. Seeing her chances slip through her fingers, she jumped onto a table, hands cupping her mouth to get her words as loud as possible. "Hey. Let him go."

The room fell into silence, all eyes on her as she shouted. She could feel the glares, weapons pointed towards her, her heart falling to the put of her stomach as one of the thugs questioned her motives.

"Well, you see, it's my dream to see the floating lights, up close, and he is sort of my ticket to getting there. Please, just until tomorrow night, let him go."

Lydia watched as the biggest man, Derek, looked between a few people. From a girl holding a bow to a girl with a sword before his gaze landed on a sinister man in the corner. She saw him contemplate the idea, a smirk on his features that seemed permanently etched there. Finally, he gave a nod, eyes still lingering on Lydia as Derek turned back to Stiles.

"You're lucky she's here Stilinski, next time you won't be so lucky. Unless you want to help us achieve our dreams as well." The crowd roared with laughter, a few members actually contemplating Derek's idea, suggestions being shouted over the noise.

"Love."

"Control."

"Power."

The last one, coming from the man who was still watching Lydia, sent shivers down the young girls spine. She took one last glance as Stiles sorted the arrangements of escape with Derek. His eyes seemed to glow with a hunger, that perhaps his dream wasn't so far fetched.

"Lyds, come on, tall dark and moody has an escape hatch." She could feel his eyes following her as she made her way to the hatch, letting Derek help her down. Once her feet were on the ground, she helped pull Stiles down, unable to shake the eerie feeling left resonating with her.

Peter Hale was a man of few dreams but when he had a plan, it was never small. His dreams were of grandure and the second he saw the girl enter the tavern, he knew exactly who she was, and exactly how he could exploit her naivety. He'd be powerful soon enough, but first he needed help and he knew just how to get what he wanted. After all, he knew how grateful the King and Queen would be.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: I am so sorry for this wait. I've had work and uni assignments that have drained me and had a little personal drama but I have two weeks now to write so I will get as much of this story written as possible.

Almost as soon as their feet landed, the trap door swung close. Lydia started to walk down the path set out before them but Stiles raised a hand, shaking his head and pointing up. It didn't take long for Lydia to follow his instructions, listening in to what was happening above.

If there was one thing Jenifer knew, it was that any person who had either her daughter or information on her whereabouts, would be drinking at the Wolf Pack. She was certain of it, but she also knew the loyal patrons had a particular fee, a price she couldn't pay.

If there was one thing Peter Hale knew, it was that Jenifer Blake would be looking for the princess. It was something he'd kept tabs on, the young girl, locked in that tower by the woman, powers used to heal her scars, to keep her young. He also knew that she had an agreement with his nephew, that she stay in Jenifers possession, an agreement that most adhered to. Peter however, was a man of treachery, always ready to double cross. So when Jennifer walked into the dimly lit room, his wolf like grin grew just a little wider, eyes twinkling in what little light there was.

"Miss Blake, it's good to see you. I hear you need some assistance."

The woman rolled her eyes but pulled out a bag if gold from her skirt, handing it to the man.

"Half now, half later, when my daughter is returned to me. I trust you can find her Peter." She watched him take the bag and inspect the contents, knowing she couldn't trust the eldest surviving Hale, but he was good at his job, she'd just have to stay vigilant.

Meanwhile, in the passageway, Lydia was watching Stiles, her face now pale as she pulled on his sleeve.

"We have to run. Right now we have to go." There was an urgency to her voice as she took off down the dark tunnel, her dress and long hair becoming damp as the sewage water level increased. She wished she had a way of looking where she was going, which is when the idea hit. Under her breath, she muttered the song, hair illumanating the tunnel in an creepy orange hue.

Stiles stared in shock, not completely sure what had just happened. "What the heck is that?" He stumbled forward, tripping on his way to touch the glowing tresses and hitting his head hard on the ground. As he stood, his ankle gave way and he was forced to hobble through the tunnel.

"Didn't I tell you about the magic glowing hair?" She grinned at him before she saw the blood trickling down from his forehead. "Come on, we'll go find the exit then I can take care of that."

It took them at least half an hour, with Lydia half carrying the thief most of the way, but they eventually found the exit. Lydia climbed the stairs, which took them to the depths of the forrest. She was glad for the shelter from the trees, taking a seat on a nearby log.

Once Stiles had taken a seat, she tore a strip from her skirt, taking it over to the lake to clean it before returning to his side.

"Put this on your head wound to clean it, and wrap some of my hair around your ankle."

Bewildered, Stiles followed the instructions, unsure what was about to happen. As she started to sing, he suppressed a laugh, amusement slipping away as her hair began to glow again, the pain lifting from his ankle.

"H-how do you... That's... That was incredible." He blinked a few times before standing, testing his now healed ankle.

"I'm gonna try and sleep for a while, you take first watch. We can have an explanatory heart to heart once I've rested." She grinned at him before rolling her eyes as he started to jump, making sure he hadn't gained a super powered ankle. Underneath the tough exterior, he really was a giant dork.

Lydia moved to find a spot of soft ground, curling into herself as her eyes slowly closed, blissfully unaware of the glowing eyes in the treetops.


	6. Chapter 5

_ Wide green eyes greeted her, fingers brushing gently through her short curls as she squirmed in her crib. _

_"You're so lucky little girl, my little Lydia." She looked to the woman with wide eyes, seeing the similarities between herself and the lady but unable to do anything, frozen in sleep. She didn't understand it, but the woman made her feel calm, made her feel warm. "Princess Lydia."_

_The next minute, the woman had disappeared, replaced with her mother, or who she assumed was her mother, her face scared as she cut a strand of her hair. _

Stiles watched her as she slept, unable to stop smiling at how peaceful she looked. He quickly shook his head, running his hands through his hair to keep them busy. No connections, they were the rules. So when he heard her screaming, he hesitated before rushing over, wrapping his as around her shoulders.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm here. Shh." He gently ran his hand through her hair, kissing the top of her head without a thought. Obviously it meant nothing, he felt nothing for the annoying girl who was dragging him on the stupid adventure. He certainly didn't like her, and he especially didn't love her.

Lydia didn't know what had happened, one minute she was sleeping, the next she was screaming. She could feel arms around her and looked back, breath calming after a while.

"I'm okay, just a bad dream. Felt a little real. But it doesn't matter, it's nothing." Shaking her head, she looked to the trees where Prada had started to bark. "Prada, what is it baby?"

When she saw the shadow, she shrieked, falling back into Stiles' arms. The thief felt rigid as the man stepped forward. He was tall and muscular, but he had a kind face and she didn't understand why Stiles looked terrified.

"Stilinski. I am McCall from the kings guard, and you are wanted for crimes against the state. Robbery of the crown jewels, kidnapping this young gi-"

Lydia stepped forward as he spoke, smiling to the man to cut him off. "Excuse me sir, this isn't a kidnapping. Now it's my birthday, and this man here is taking me to see the floating lights, so I need him for like, twenty four hours, then you can have him."

Scott and Stiles both looked to each other, glaring as they thought over Lydia's proposition.

It was Stiles who broke the silence, thinking more about Lydia, how it was her he wanted to be happy. "Okay, fine, but I'm not making it easy for him. And he doesn't get to watch the lights with us."

Lydia grinned, scooping up Prada before begining to walk away, frowning when she didn't hear footsteps behind. "Come on, we need to get to town."


	7. Chapter 6

It had been a long walk for the three, despite the gates of the city being in view from their starting spot by the river. Lydia found it impossible to focus on her excitement for the day ahead, with the two behind her bickering. Stiles would steal from Scott. Scott would shove him response and they'd get into a ridiculous play fight. That was until Lydia sent them a glare, which in turn made the boys giggle like children.

"Can you two please behave like adults? It's my birthday and I don't want to be stabbed by two childish men on my birthday." She made a point to glare at Scott's side where she expected to see his sword holstered. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she saw the glint from Stiles' direction, sighing as he sent her a grin. It was official, she was being escorted by idiots, and with one wrong move, this birthday could be her last.

By the time they reached the gates, Stiles had handed the sword back, taking a few strides forward to be next to Lydia. He watched her face, astonished as he saw the variety of emotion crossing her features. Amazement, nerves but most of all, excitement. Not that her happiness bought him any semblance of joy, no, he just had an obligation to make this the best birthday ever. For the crown and freedom, obviously. It was the look of amazement on the rogues face that gave his true feelings away to the trained guard. Scott took a few steps back, leaving them to their moment.

"This is it, your big birthday wish. You know you can take it all back, I mean this hasn't exactly been fun for us right?" He kept his eyes on her as she scanned the gate, bottom lip caught between her teeth as her hands trembled. This was it, soon their deal would be over, he would have his riches and be on his way and she would achieve her dream. So why couldn't he find comfort in the thought of parting ways?

Before he could truly contemplate his inner turmoil, she'd reached for his hand, dragging him inside the city to the loud and colourful festivities. Groups of children stared, envious of her long beautiful hair as they braided each others. Seeing Lydia was struggling to heave it all around, an idea struck Stiles and he made his way to the fountain where they sat. "Excuse me fine young ladies, you look like the type up for a challenge. My friend here needs an easier way to maintain this ridiculous amount of hair, and I think you can help?"

The three girls looked to each other before squealing, jumping up as Lydia let her hair out into a line behind her. They giggled while they braided, skipping over her long locks. Lydia looked around the town as the girls worked, noticing the mural across from her. It portrayed the king and queen smiling with a small baby. The people in the mural were beautiful, the baby's smile bright like her mothers, eyes emerald like her fathers. It was stunning to look at and by the time she pulled her eyes away, the braid was finished.

She thanked the girls before dragging Stiles away to the middle of the square. They watched as a group started dancing, spinning around the free space, pulling people in to the dance. When a man approached her with an extended hand, she smiled, looking to Stiles before taking the hand and joining the energetic dance. She picked up the moves with ease, jumping and gliding with the other townsfolk. It wasn't long before she was spinning out of the large group, back into Stiles' arms.

Stiles couldn't help himself from staring, breathless as he watched her twirling. The way her hair flowed even with the braid, her dress twirling with her as she danced. Her body worked in a beautiful motion. Every little detail left Stiles mesmerised. He barely saw her wave her hand in his face before he was dragged into the circle.

Once he realised what was happening, he focused on his feet, not wanting to tread on her toes as he tried to keep up with the fast paced steps. Pressed close to her he found it difficult to keep up, but every accidental step on her toes was brushed of with ease by her, her adrenaline too high to care about a little annoyance.

"You really are uncoordinated, for a criminal mastermind." Lydia rested her head on his right shoulder as the music slowed, an arm draping over his left shoulder with the other sliding around his waist. "Thank you. For bringing me here, you didn't have to do this for me."

Stiles' heart swelled at the comment, lips pressing softly to the top of her head because who was he kidding? This girl, this annoying primaddona princess was beautiful, smart and he was head over heels for her.

"You're welcome. Plus, I do, for the crown." When he eventually looked up, he saw Scott waving them over, the sky behind him highlighted with dark blues and purples. "Okay, it's time to go. We want a good view for the lights."


	8. Chapter 7

Lydia let him pull her away, watching Scott with a frown when the guard didn't follow. That was odd. He'd been insistent on keeping an eye on the thief and now he was happy to just let them go.

"Is McCall not joining us?" As she spoke, a glint of something on the guards belt caught her eye. A bribe, obviously a part of Stiles' master plan. The blonde couldn't help but roll her eyes, following Stiles to the lake. "So you bribed a guard to leave us alone? Why? What are you getting out of this?" She watched him continue to walk, not answering any of her questions. "Stiles. What are you doing?"

Finally, he turned, grin overtaking his features as he stepped aside. Behind him was a small row boat, floating gently at the edge of the lake. She watched it, puzzled as to the significance of the transport, not seeing others around. Obviously the lights weren't released on the other side of the lake, not nearly enough boats around for that, so she really couldn't piece it together. She certainly didn't think it deserved jazz hands and Stiles' expectant grin.

Seeing her confused expression, Stiles let his grin fade, dropping his hands. "It's, for the... Would you just...? Please?" He sighed at her reluctance, knowing she wouldn't follow without an explanation. He reached out a hand towards her, eyes wide, pleading with her as he spoke. "Do you trust me?"

"No, no I really don't." Still, she took his hand, letting him help her into the boat. She knew she was safe, a small part of her thinking that this was a trap but that part was silenced by the rest of her. Somehow, she'd grown to trust the criminal, even if she knew their friendship was only temporary, there was something about him she just couldn't help but trust and care for.

Once they were both in the boat, Stiles started rowing, stopping when they were in the middle of the lake. "Okay, as much as your distrust hurts, here we are. I still got you here." He couldn't help but smile at the annoyance in her eyes, paired with her confused head tilt, utterly adorable. "Well, I just thought since you haven't seen them before, you should have the best seat in the house. Well on the lake at least." He gestured around them before handing over a paper lantern, seeing the group of people approaching the nearby mountain top.

As soon as she had the lantern, it made sense. The boat, the two of them alone on the lake, this was his plan to show her the lights and it was wonderful. "Stiles, this, thank you." She stumbled over her words, unable to stop a wide smile take over her features, pink tint to her cheeks. She couldn't help but wonder when the thief had started to make her heart flutter.

It didn't take long for the people above to release their lanterns, the sky above them illuminating with colour, like an explosion of beauty in the sky. The lanterns danced and floated, wonderful patterns made in the night sky. Everything she'd imagined this to be was suddenly worthless. She'd never seen anything so beautiful and she was envious of anyone who had been able to see this up close all those years. "It's beautiful."

Her eyes were glued on the sky, hands releasing her own lantern. She was so caught up in watching it rise that she didn't notice Stiles' unmoving gaze on her, the rosy tint to his cheeks shadowed by the cover of night. "Yeah it really is."

What they didn't realise was the man watching from the shore, eyes glowing as he looked over to the woman behind the trees, sly grin on his lips. The thief and the princess, falling in love but soon it would be over. Peter would have his riches and Jennifer would no longer have her power in her hands.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N:** I know I haven't updated in a while but uni has been crazy and some personal stuff has been happening but my exams end May 20th and after that I am free to complete the tons of ideas I have. For now hope you enjoy

* * *

><p>It was honestly the most beautiful thing Lydia had ever seen in her life and she couldn't thank Stiles enough. Even if now it was over it meant never seeing him again, leaving him to McCall. Slowly, she pulled out his bag, smiling at the man before her.<p>

"I believe this is yours, now you can leave me for some big adventure." She gave him a sad smile, feeling her eyes betraying her despite her best efforts. Everything in her head was telling her that being sentimental over him was wrong, but her heart continued to betray her, fluttering as if hundreds of butterflies were trying to escape.

Stiles took the satchel, about to protest, but he could see her leaning forward, could feel his own body unconsciously doing so. They were moments away from kissing, seconds away from sealing a new fate, until he spotted the twins. His entire body tensed. They wanted to kill him, wanted his head on a plate and here they were, interrupting his perfect moment with a girl he was pretty sure he loved.

"Stiles, is everything okay?" She turned, not catching sight of the twins. "I'm sorry that was stupid I shouldn't have..." She swiped her thumb over her lower lip, looking away as she started to row back to shore. She got out of the boat, knowing he had everything he wanted. "Have fun, with the tiara."

With that, she turned, starting to walk away, Stiles left sitting in the boat in shock. "Wait, Lyds, there's something I need to do, but I promise I'll be right back. Stay right here okay?"

He didn't wait for her to nod her reply, rushing in the direction of the twins. "Hey, Ethan, Aiden, long time no see. Look what I found." He lifted the satchel up, waving it from side to side. When the twins took a step forward, he gulped, holding out the bag for the two. "Here, I don't need it anymore. I found something better than a crown."

The twins looked at the bag, nodding to the bushes as they took another step forward. "You know, you screwed over one too many people."

Stiles was distracted by the boys, not hearing the man behind him. Before he knew it, he was falling to the ground thanks to a blow from behind. Peter looked up with a smirk, brushing his hands on his shirt. "Good work. Now get him on the boat, Ms Blake is working on Red."

Back on the shore, Lydia was a little giddy with excitement, almost certain that Stiles had another plan, something to make her feel the butterflies again. She turned as she heard footsteps, smile wide on her features. "Hey there I thought you weren't co- Mother?" She frowned at the woman, arms wrapping around herself, closing herself off from the woman. On her journey she'd seen things, felt a change in herself as she became free from her mother's control. "What are you doing here?"

Jennifer stepped forward, all innocent smiles and soft footsteps. "Honey, I'm here to protect you." She lifted the poster, looking to the distance to see if the plan was in action yet. "He's a criminal, he doesn't care about you like I do." She cupped her cheek, thumb massaging the skin as she turned her around.

That's when her heart shattered, seeing the man sailing away, the satchel clearly hanging from his hand. He'd run, he'd run and left her stranded, alone. "But, no he was different. He, he cared about me."

Jennifer turned her daughter, walking her away and towards the horse, ignoring Prada when he started yapping and growling. "He's a criminal darling, he doesn't care about you."

The guards were waiting when the boat pulled up, Jennifer having tipped them off before she'd found her daughter. John stepped forward to untie him, freezing when he recognized the boy. His eyes turned stony as he fought the tears, cutting the ropes and taking the satchel. "I'm sorry son. McCall, Parrish, take him away."


End file.
